The present invention relates to a container intended in particular for the transporting of loads which are to be handled with care, such as ejectable seats for aircraft, this container having two encasing elements which can be fitted one on the other in order to define the storage space of the load to be transported,
Containers of this type are known which are used in aeronautics for the transporting of ejectable seats from the place of manufacture to the place of installation within the cockpits of airplanes.
These ejectable seats being fastened in operating condition on their mounting frame, their placement in and extraction from the container require delicate, constraining and dangerous maneuvers which increase the time for the carrying out thereof, increase the cost of loading and unloading and expose the personnel to the danger of accidents.
The same problems arise with any other load which is to be handled with care or with heavy loads or loads of large dimensions.
The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and, for this purpose, it relates to a container of the type specified above which is characterized by the fact that it comprises, within its storage space, at least one support cradle for the load, articulated at one end on a frame rigidly secured to the base of a first encasing element, in order to be able to be moved between a lying-down position on said frame and an erect position above the frame after the withdrawal of the second encasing element, means for locking the support cradle in erect position being furthermore provided.
Thus, on the one hand, the load, in place in the first encasing element, can be brought into erect position, at least to a large extent outside of the latter, which facilitates its removal since it is more accessible and is substantially at man's height; on the other hand, it is easy to present a load in order to fasten it on the support cradle which is in erect position, and the load can then be easily placed within the first encasing element by moving the cradle into its horizontal position.
In accordance with one simple embodiment, the locking means comprise at least one foldable and lockable crutch articulated on one side to the frame and on the other to the support cradle, at a point remote from its articulated end.
Two self-extending jacks are preferably furthermore provided, each arranged between the frame and a respective side of the support cradle and near the articulated end of the latter.
The presence of these jacks facilitates the lifting of the load from the horizontal position of the cradle and dampens the descent of said load from the erect position of said cradle.
On the frame, there is preferably provided a notched sector which is centered on the cradle-frame articulation, cooperating with a disengageable pawl mounted on the cradle so as to enable the raising and lowering of the loaded support cradle step by step, and thus to prevent the danger of a sudden falling of the cradle before it has been locked in the erect or horizontal position.
The support cradle advantageously bears a moveable pawl disengagement handle connected to the pawl by a cable and placed in the vicinity of an operating handle fastened on the free end of the support cradle. The pawl disengagement handle can thus be easily actuated by the operator by taking in hand the fixed maneuvering handle upon manipulation of the support cradle.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the container is provided with means for locking the support cradle in horizontal position on the frame.
This makes it possible to stabilize the load which is itself attached to the cradle during the transportation of the container.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the frame consists of two substantially parallel rails between which the support cradle is articulated, the cradle comprising, on each of its sides, a U-shaped iron which is open in the direction of a respective rail of the frame, in order to surround it in the horizontal position of the support cradle, and the means for the locking of the latter consisting of pins, each intended to retain a respective U-iron astride over the corresponding rail.
Thus, the locking of the load support cradle may be effected very simply on the frame.
For the fastening of the load on the support cradle, the latter advantageously has, at at least one of its ends, a releasable clamping grip which is intended to cooperate with a protruding part of the load.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the support cradle is provided, on its load receiving face, with blocks serving provisionally to immobilize the load before the clamping or after the unclamping of the grips.
The height of the first encasing element is preferably less than that of the second encasing element. Thus, the loads are very easy to grasp or put in place and the forces are reduced to a minimum.